Suburban Home Invasion

*****In the newspaper this morning, there was a story reported about an elderly man who was struck by 3 youths when he answered his doorbell. Passed out on the floor, they ram shacked his home searching for everything they could steal from him then drove off with it in his car. It brought back an unfortunate memory about our home invasion I’ve written about here.

**************************************************************

It was a small little ad posted in the newspapers Police Blotter.
It read:

Suburban Home Invasion

In the quiet suburban community of Long Islands,
North Babylon, burglars invaded a home on New York
Avenue on October 28th. Police are looking for the suspects. Anyone with information, please contact: Officer Smith (212) 000 – 0000

My home invasion was in the newspaper. Thoughts of the night before rushed into my mind as I read the report. A violation of my family’s security was diminished to a small blurb in a newspaper police blotter.

I could hardly believe my eyes when we drove up our driveway and saw the house lit up. It looked like a Christmas tree dazzling bright. The house looked like a party going on inside. We had left our security lights on and connected to our very reliable timer. It was set to turn them on and turning off. We assumed the timer had broken leaving the light on constantly.

We had left for the weekend to attend a family wedding. It was a two hour drive there and back. We decided to stay with family. My three children would attend the pre – wedding events. A neighbors’ daughter would babysit at my in-laws for the wedding ceremony. My husband and I were excited to have a little weekend get-a-way. It was a rare treat for us.

They must have been watching the house. They had to have known about our being away. They had a good time at our expense. They had a destructive vengeance towards our way of life.

Did you find pleasure in smashing those pumpkins my kids had decorated for Halloween?

Were the shampoo bottles you punctured and carefully placed among clothes, allowing them to ooze out, a source of great elation?
Was the beer you splattered all over the walls, creating a sap of sugary syrup everywhere, a joyful contest amongst all of you?

How about those newspapers you rolled into wads and placed very carefully in the oven for a fire to begin give you a blissful feeling?

And those dark blue police uniforms you decided to cut-up, pour oil and crack eggs all over a sign of your indifference and defiance of authority?

It breaks my heart when I remember the look on my children’s faces. They were so overcome. The thought that someone could be that destructive in their home was incomprehensible to them.

We all cried.

Our house could have been burned down to the ground.

I guess you had never cooked anything in your life. The oven hadn’t been turned on; at all. It was the timer you set. I am so glad you hadn’t gone back to check. I am so glad you didn’t burn our home.

Did you enjoy yourselves?

The police said it was several of you. There was too much destruction and damage for just one scoundrel. You have chosen your life of crime but it will catch up to you.

Maybe, you like scaring people.

Maybe, you wanted to buy drugs with what you stole from us.

You may have gotten away with damaging and stealing from our home but you will be caught. Criminals always are. They never think that they will be outsmarted.

Like this:

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Intriguing, sensitive, mysterious, loving, artistic and crackling with excitement for life is a pretty good description of who I am. I just retired from the world of art where I sold my Artfully Designed Handmade Jewelry for 28 years; although, art will always be a part of whom I am no matter what venue I choose to express it.

It is incredible that someone could have so much disrespect for another’s home.
It happened so long ago and yet the memory of it can come back when you read
about it in a newspaper. Thanks for visiting, Marianne, and commenting. XD ❤

Well said, Izzy. You don’t have to come face-to-face with a criminal to feel the violation, which, as you say, last long after the crime as occurred. And vandalism is so senseless. It destroys so much more than property…

Isadora that sounded like a horrid thing to go through, what sort of creatures do such things? I hope you found peace. I know it would be something that you would not get over easily. My mind cringes when I hear of the elderly being preyed upon and this is the lowest form of human who does this.

I believe that criminals have lowered their standard to an all time low.
I live in Florida where there are a great many elderly. They are being targeted
in grocery store parking lots, medical doctor parking lots and in their homes.
I hope our world isn’t getting so ugly that we do not respect age.
Thanks for you wise comment and visit. ❤

It really does a long time to get over. There’s always an apprehension as you enter your home. It’s the invasion of your home which should be a place of safety. I’m sure you can relate.
Of course, this occurred when I lived in the suburbs in New York. ~~~~ : – O

Thank you for your good thoughts, Stefania. This happened a very long time ago (1973) but the effects stay with you. They are lesser over the years but never forgotten.
Your good wishes are greatly appreciated. Happy Sunday to you as well. XD xo

It doesn’t just happen on television or in the movies. When it happens they don’t
write about the effects. I’m glad the incident is far, far behind but you really never
forget. Thanks for visiting and commenting. ~~~~~ : – )

hideous thugs – I like that description. I think things like that get noticed someone eventually.
And, it isn’t always here on earth.
I’m happy it’s in the past and I no longer live in that state but there’s always a bit of it that
pops up every so often. Thanks, Gilly, for your kind words. ~~~~ : – )

I’m so sorry to hear this and know from experience that distance only means you don’t think about it as often, not that it doesn’t still hurt. We were robbed during the middle of the day 3 years ago and I came home alone to a house torn apart and stripped. It was awful…

The worst part is the image of everything personal strewn about for investigators to examine.
Your privacy and your safety if cracked into little pieces. Those who have had this happen to them understand best. So sorry that you too have had such an awful thing happen.
Thanks for visiting and for your openness in your comment. ❤ hugs ❤

I don’t think you can get over something like that totally. You learn to put it in the past
and move on. But, when you hear about it on the news it becomes real once again.
Thanks, Angeline, for for visiting and commenting. ~~~~ : – )

You never quite get over that feeling of invasion, do you? Ours didn’t have the added odiousness of deliberate vandalism, but reading your (excellent) post had my gut wrenching, just as it had that morning the police called me back home from work to see the house ransacked and upended … sanctuary befouled.

sanctuary befouled – a perfect description of what something like that does to you.
Even though I live in another state and in another type of environment those feelings can arise
when you read about it or see it on television. I can identify with your encounter and am sorry you too had to have that in your life.
Thanks for visiting and leaving your very insightful comment. ❤ hugs ❤

Yes, there was a bit of intense aggression in the manner in which they destroyed so many
things. The conclusion was that the thugs were angry at authority. They became aware of that when they saw my husbands police uniform. Of course, it was speculation.
I’m grateful they had no clue as to how to turn an oven on. ~~~~ : – )
Thanks for visiting and commenting while here. ❤

Difficult to say I “liked” this post. But it strikes very close to home in that we had a very traumatic experience in 1982 which still lingers in memory. No one can really understand who has not experienced something like this.

I believe it’s the sacure feeling of safety that lingers. Although, I live in another state and
in a different type of environment, the memory of it never goes away. Sorry that something like taht happened to you but glad you can understand. Thanks for visiting, Emilio, and leaving
your insightful comment. ~~~~ : – )

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